Denis Leary’s “Firefighter for a Day” event raises money for fire departments

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Denis Leary’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event is designed to turn celebrity attention into practical support for fire departments, by giving civilians a close-up view of the training that firefighters use when responding to emergencies. The event is held in connection with International Firefighters Day and takes place at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island, where organizers say the academy is otherwise closed to non-firefighters.

Leary said he did not want to run the kind of fundraiser he described as another golf tournament or an auction. Instead, he teamed with the Fire Department of New York and The FDNY Foundation to create what he called a “crazy idea,” hosting the civilian training day through the Leary Firefighters Foundation in honor of International Firefighters Day, celebrated every May 4. Leary told The Associated Press that “It was exciting from the get-go,” and that “Now, 10 years in, it just gets better and better every year. It’s truly amazing.”

Since 2016, organizers said the Denis Leary FDNY Firefighter Challenge has been the only day each year when the FDNY Fire Academy opens to civilians. Participants train with actual firefighters, and the day includes activities organizers said resemble real response tasks, including entering burning buildings, carrying fire hoses to extinguish flames, and searching for survivors. Organizers also described rappelling down buildings to reach safety during the training exercise.

Leary said participants are not required to do anything they do not want to do. He said that once they see the teamwork and expertise involved, many people end up trying more than they planned. He recalled that “The Good Wife” star Julianna Margulies arrived expecting to coach rather than participate, only to return after doing the rappelling exercise in full bunker gear, which Leary said she described as overcoming her fears.

Proceeds from the challenge, organizers said, fund grants to fire departments across the country for equipment and additional training. David Morkal, a retired FDNY battalion chief and a member of the Leary Firefighters Foundation board of directors, said the foundation has increased its annual giving over time, from “maybe $200,000 in grants a year” when the program began to “$850,000,” with the goal of reaching $1 million in grants this year. Morkal said volunteer departments often need support for equipment and training they cannot afford, adding that they are “fighting for every $100.”

Morkal said the foundation’s grant criteria have remained the same since Leary started it in 2000, following a Worcester, Massachusetts fire that killed six firefighters, including Leary’s cousin and a childhood friend. He said the mission is to provide equipment and training so firefighters can “walk away from a fire after it’s out and go home to their families.”

John Tyson, assistant fire chief at the Talladega Fire Department in Alabama, said the forcible entry trainer his department received from Leary’s foundation is used almost every day. He said the equipment helps firefighters breach locked doors more quickly when responding to calls, while also adding that it can be difficult for smaller departments to prioritize higher-cost items in tight budgets.

Edward A. Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said he wished the Leary Firefighters Foundation were not needed and that fire departments could afford the equipment and training required without philanthropic help. Kelly said fire departments in the U.S. compete for resources because city budgets must cover many demands, and he described that allocation as a “flawed system.” Kelly said the foundation stands in “the giant void” and that, over 26 years of gifts, it has provided equipment to many departments.

Leary said his foundation work has reflected his hope, after the Sept. 11 attacks, that the federal government would step in and reduce the need for private giving. He told The Associated Press that “There was a brief moment about six months later when we thought, ‘Is the government gonna step in?’” and he said the effort did not materialize. He said he continues the work and cited an example of how fame can be used to make a difference, pointing to Boston Bruins president Cam Neely and Neely’s support for cancer patients at Tufts Medical Center.